Adventures in underwear (73/365)

[white_hart]

As those of you who know me in real life will be aware, I possess a rather substantial bust. This is not something that I particularly like (the me in my head is flat-chested and generally androgynous, and it's always a bit disturbing to be reminded how different the me in the mirror is), and it's compounded by the horror that is bras. Bras, in my experience, resemble torture devices whether they are frilly lacy underwired ones (which (a) scratch, (b) poke into your ribcage and (c) are so femme just looking at them gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies) or sports bras (which are plain and sensible and even a bit compressing if you get the right kind, but which require the skills of a contortionist to get on and off). For the last few years, I've been wearing beige or white t-shirt bras from Debenhams, which have soft microfibre fabric with only a tiny bit of lace at the sides (and, inevitably, a small bow on the front, because apparently it's impossible to make a bra without a small bow on the front), and whose underwires only occasionally poked into my ribcage. They didn't make me particularly happy, but they didn't make me actively unhappy either, so I stuck with them.

Recently, though, I started seeing pictures of the Muna and Broad Banksia Bralette on Instagram, and I was intrigued at the idea of a bralette designed for larger bodies and a range of cup sizes. I decided that making one would be my Christmas holiday sewing project.



I've just finished sewing my fifth*, and now I have enough that I can get from one laundry day to the next without ever wearing an underwired bra. And, wonder of wonders, I actually like how I look in these. They're colourful and fun, and utilitarian, and comfortable, and not at all femme or "sexy". I'm so happy to be able to make them.

*actually, sixth, but the second version I made was in a fabric without enough stretch and the seams ripped almost straight away

Comments

[white_hart]

I've heard very good things about Molke, but I do wonder if the crossover front would be a bit too cleavagey for me - the nice thing about the crop-top style is that there is no cleavage at all. (Well, nice if one would prefer not to have boobs at all and definitely not to look at all sexy.)

I always seem to end up owning lots of bras, and I think that comes from a residual memory of being in a similar position, and having to plan really carefully about when to wash the bra I liked to minimise the time wearing the one I didn't.

I want comfort and freedom of movement along with looking aesthetically interesting (but not either 'sexy' or as if I am dressing to appease people who come up with a lot of bullshit rules about how to be as inoffensive as possible while fat)

That pretty much sums me up as well, and it is really difficult, though making my own clothes helps because I can use interesting fabrics with basic shapes and entirely eschew polyester.

[girlyswot]

I want comfort and freedom of movement along with looking aesthetically interesting (but not either 'sexy' or as if I am dressing to appease people who come up with a lot of bullshit rules about how to be as inoffensive as possible while fat)

ME TOO.

[joyeuce]

WRT clothing in general I want comfort and freedom of movement along with looking aesthetically interesting

Half me. I want comfort and freedom of movement and to look uninteresting enough not to be noticed!

[el_staplador]

I suspect it might be. Mine make me considerably more cleavagey than the wired ones I was previously wearing. I think it's the hoist factor as much as the crossover. It's a feature rather than a bug in my book, but I do realise that's not true of everybody.

[white_hart]

I do always think it's a shame I'm not someone who enjoys showing off a curvy figure, because my body is much better suited to that than it is to androgyny.

[ankaret]

Yeah, they are quite cleavagey on me. It doesn't help that I've always had about half a cup size difference between left and right, so either I have one cup fitting right and one too big (unsupportive) or one fitting right and one too small (overflowing) whichever sort of bra I go for.

I have been failing to get my sewing machine mended / serviced because of residual feelings from the last time I tried home sewing that (a) the amount of pattern adjustment needed is too much of a bother and (b) the kind of clothes that I like and that fit me tend to require more awkward sewing curved bits of material together than I am competent to deal with, but seeing what you produce is very inspiring.